Despite the implications of its name, the Exploding Cowboy Music Co-op is neither a new grocery where faded Hee-Haw vets and cattle rustlers trade songwriting lessons for gunpowder, nor a support group for survivors of spontaneous human combustion. The Co-op, founded by Lucky Lawrence of the Souvenirs, represents one member of the Seattle twang scene’s efforts to pool resources and reach new audiences.
As Lawrence points out, you’re unlikely to ever hear any of the mainstays of Seattle’s thriving alt-country community on commercial, Nashville-oriented radio. But that doesn’t mean that mainstream listeners aren’t open to what bands like the Souvenirs have to offer, as the quartet learned when selections from their catalog started garnering regional airplay in Texas after a couple tour passes through the Lone Star State. “If people can find out about this music, they appreciate it,” says the singer-songwriter-guitarist.
To kick off the Co-op, Lawrence has rounded up a cadre of like-minded Emerald City acts, including the Swains, the Wakefields, Heartbreak USA, and Ruby Dee & the Snake Handlers, to join the Souvenirs, plus their visiting Austin, TX buddies the Jackson Taylor Band, at the Crocodile this Friday, June 24. Eventually, Lucky hopes to compile a CD sampler featuring any worthwhile Seattle country-tinged band desiring an audience beyond Ballard Avenue.
“I want anybody committed enough to their art to pay to put out their own record to be involved,” he explains. From there, members will pool finances to cover the cost of hiring a radio promotions company to peddle this Seattle roots sampler nationwide, at a fraction of the cost of any individual band trying to go it alone. (Interested parties can contact the Exploding Cowboy Music Co-op by e-mailing luckylawrence@thesouvenirs.com.)
Meanwhile, Lawrence says the Souvenirs have enough material for two new albums—one more twang-rock, the other on a bluegrass tip—ready to go. But first, they’re waiting for member Layne Freedle to get back on his feet, as the guitarist has been coping with some health problems that required an unplanned surgery last week. Speaking of which, to defray Layne’s medical expenses, Jules Maes in Georgetown is hosting a benefit on Saturday, July 23, featuring the Dusty 45s, West Valley Highway, and a rare reunion show by Freedle’s former band, cow-punk rabble-rousers Redneck Girlfriend.
The Queen of Rockabilly, Wanda Jackson, has been singled out for a 2005 National Heritage Fellowship (which pays a one-time award of $20,000 per recipient) by the National Endowment for the Arts. Jackson, one of the first women to leave an indelible mark on rock via kickass hits like “Let’s Have a Party,” “Hot Dog! That Made Him Mad,” and “Fujiyama Mama,” will accept the honor at an awards ceremony on Capitol Hill in September; a concert featuring other 2005 awardees (including gospel singer Albertina Walker and Cajun fiddle player Michael Doucet) is also planned. In the meantime, you can congratulate Wanda in person when she returns to kick up some dust at the Tractor on Saturday, July 30. ■
